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Will Your Next Pet Be A Goat Instead Of A Dog?

July 18, 2016

Written byCuriosity Staff

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Picture a goat. Are you envisioning him cuddled up with you on the couch while you watch Netflix? Walking around the neighborhood with you on his leash? It may sound strange, but according to recent studies, a goat would make just as good a companion as a dog.

Who's A Good Goat?

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London stated that goats are capable of communicating with humans just like other domestic animals, and are even as loving and clever as dogs. The research also shows that goats are smarter than previously believed, and behave in similar ways to domesticated animals. For example, a goat might gaze into a human's eyes when struggling to complete a task.

"Stupid As A Goat"?

In many countries, "stupid as a goat" is a common insult. But Dr."From our earlier research, we already know that goats are smarter than their reputation suggests, but these results show how they can communicate and interact with their human handlers even though they were not domesticated as pets or working animals," he said. "We know that in some areas goats are as intelligent as dogs, but there has been a lot more work done on dog behaviour and we are really just scratching the surface with goats."